[Northampton, 3rd April 2025]
The UK strawberry industry is facing significant financial strain, with growers exiting the sector and domestic production declining by 25% in just six years. Yet a third of strawberries are imported, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable, homegrown solutions to meet demand, especially out of season.
To address this challenge, a consortium led by InnoPhyte Consulting Ltd, in collaboration with FlexFarming and Niab, is pioneering an innovative approach for commercial Totally Controlled Environment Agriculture (TCEA) strawberry production. The initiative aims to enhance productivity, optimise resource use, and improve profitability for UK TCEA soft fruit businesses.
One key challenge in strawberry cultivation is over-vigorous canopy growth due to excessive fertiliser inputs. This limits light penetration, increases disease risk, and consumes too much water. Niab is at the forefront of tackling this issue.“Inputs of nitrogen in TCEA, polytunnel, and glasshouse strawberry production often exceed demand, which leads to over-vigorous plant canopies and lower quality fruit,” says Dr Mark Else of Niab. “Our work with polytunnel crops has shown that variety-specific nitrogen-demand models can cut fertiliser inputs by up to 77% while maintaining high Class 1 yields and berry quality, reducing both environmental impact and costs. We think that similar efficiencies can be achieved in TCEA, and in this project, we will develop and test a low-N growing strategy for commercial out-of-season berry production.”
There are further bonuses: lower nitrogen means less powdery mildew – reducing disease risk. Restricting fertiliser application results in fewer and smaller leaves, minimising the need for manual leaf removal, and cutting operating costs. Finally, adding less nitrogen directly reduces climate-warming NOx emissions.
TCEA strawberry cultivation presents unique challenges including higher resource demands and precarious economics. To overcome these barriers, the consortium will develop and validate a nutrition management model that combines carbon dioxide supplementation with lower nitrogen inputs. By incorporating MOF (Metal-Organic Framework) technology to extract CO₂ from the atmosphere and release it into the growing environment, the team will test whether photosynthetic capacity can be maintained or increased, despite a smaller canopy.
MOF technology has the potential to transform TCEA agriculture. By cheaply and efficiently capturing and concentrating CO₂ from the atmosphere, we can create an optimal growing environment. Plant productivity is enhanced while energy costs and resource inputs are lower.
The first part of the N-demand model validation and introduction of CO₂ enrichment work will take place at Niab East Malling, while in the second year of the project, commercial trials will take place at FlexFarming’s facilities.
FlexFarming, a leading commercial TCEA strawberry grower, will host real-world testing to assess the commercial and environmental viability of the project’s innovations. “Strawberry production in TCEA is more complex than leafy greens, but with the right innovations, we can achieve consistent, high-quality yields year-round,” says Ahmad Mohseni, CEO at FlexFarming. “By refining nutrition management and incorporating CO₂ enrichment, we aim to make indoor strawberry farming more productive, profitable, and sustainable.”
“The outcomes from this project will help to lower inputs, labour, and energy costs, raise Class 1 yields, and improve the consistency of fruit quality in TCEA strawberry production,”. “While integrating precision nutrition management with advanced CO₂ enrichment presents clear potential to improve yields, reduce environmental impact, and strengthen the resilience of the British strawberry supply chain, it also carries inherent risks that must be carefully managed to ensure long-term sustainability and success.”
As the UK strives to bolster food and nutrition security and reduce reliance on imports, this collaborative effort stands to transform the future of UK out-of-season strawberry production.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Katia Zacharaki; katia@innophyte.co.uk
About the Consortium Partners:
InnoPhyte Consulting Ltd (IPC)
InnoPhyte Consulting operates across scientific and commercial areas of Agri-Tech and comprises primarily of plant scientists who have established working collaborations with a wide range of experts such as project managers, market analysts, marketers, LCA experts, and architects with a focus on the incorporation of plants in urban buildings. Staff are experienced in the successful delivery of projects and are appropriately qualified, with extensive experience in the vertical farming (TCEA) and CEA industries. Meanwhile, the company also offers Science-as-a-Service, allowing resource-constrained academic institutions and commercial enterprises to design, execute, analyse, and report on research trials. All data are collected rationally in properly randomised experiments, and analyses are comprehensive, validated, and effective. Colleagues focus on market structure and commercial opportunities; design of new builds including architectural engineering/plant-based physical and biological modelling; and the delivery of information-rich effective trials so clients are able to optimise GxExM.
FlexFarming Ltd
FlexFarming is a start-up commercial joint venture between Brits Energy, an energy solutions provider, and AgriSGJ, a leading strawberry grower and importer for major UK supermarkets. The team has expertise in cleantech, agritech, and agronomy, all of which are essential for addressing the technical challenges involved in creating a world-leading platform. The FlexFarming team has in-depth knowledge and proven success in growing strawberries under controlled conditions and has direct experience of the commercial market and the challenges that will be encountered as we plan to exploit project outputs. FlexFarming has built and operates a small-scale (500 m²) TCEA strawberry production facility in Somerset, and as a pioneering TCEA strawberry grower, FlexFarming aims to supply the UK mainstream market with its first net zero strawberries.
Niab
Niab is a leading independent UK crop science organisation, with research capabilities in plant genetics, agronomy, farming systems, and data science, the largest national field trials capability, and strong research links with industry, Government, and academia. With headquarters in Cambridge, and regional offices across the country, employing more than 400 people across the UK, Niab provides scientific research, technical services, and practical advice to improve the yield, efficiency, and resilience of crop production across the arable, horticulture, and top and soft fruit sectors.
Niab’s operation at East Malling in Kent is the UK’s largest centre for horticultural R&D, undertaking work in perennial and clonally-propagated crops. It provides scientific research, technical services, and practical advice to improve the yield, efficiency, and resilience of crop production across the sector.
The partners acknowledge the support of Innovate UK as part of the “Farming Futures: Nutrient Management Phase 1 – Feasibility” funding round.
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